For the first time, President Obama publicly acknowledged his so-so debate performance against rival Mitt Romney.

While speaking in front of a crowd of 6,000-plus at a Los Angeles fundraiser, the president used humor to bring up the elephant in the room. He complimented all the performers, which included Bon Jovi and Jennifer Hudson, and compared them to his own performance last week.

“They just perform flawlessly night after night. I can’t always say the same,” said a humble Obama on Sunday. He got both laughter and applause for that line.

According to the latest Pew poll, Romney appears to have wiped away Obama’s previous lead after a strong showing at last week’s debate.

Obama reminded supporters of past “bumps” on the campaign trail four years ago, saying it wasn’t always a pretty sight.

“Back in 2008, everybody always remembers the victory, but they don’t always remember the bumps in the road,” he said. “Things always look good in retrospect… We made all kinds of mistakes. We goofed up. I goofed up. But the American people carried us forward.”

With just 29 days left to go, Team Obama entered its final fundraising push. Over the weekend, the campaign announced they raked in in a record $181 million in September with the help of Democratic allies.